Christ With Coffee On Ice - it's not just about you

Episode Date: November 15, 2024

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Friday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost talks about what it looks like to serve one another. As Christians, we often find ourselves inwardly focusing on our personal relationship with the Lord so much so that we sometimes forget to serve others. We talk about how we can serve God while serving other people through prayer, sacrifice, and giving - We are never at a loss when we serve the Lord through these things. "Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Luke 6:38 ☆ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON ☆ : https://patreon.com/CWCOI  If you would like to give to CWCOI and financially support the podcast, you can do so here ! ➤ https://www.paypal.me/CWCOI _____________________________________________  Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice _____________________________________________  Connect further with Ally !  TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with coffee on ice. I am your host, Ali Yost, and I am so excited to be here with you guys. Y'all, we are nearing the end of season four, which is crazy to me. I feel like this is absolutely flown by, but this is our second to last episode of season four until we continue. And I'm going to be honest, I don't know how I feel about continuing with seasons. Maybe we will literally just have episodes that go live all the time and we don't ever stop. I don't know. I think the seasons have been fun, but I also feel like I'm tempted to do something simpler

and literally just upload episodes. They have titles. That's it for infinity and beyond. So I know that that's something you guys would probably love because that means there's no breaks. There's no prep with getting ready for another season. I mean, we're just rolling all the time. So I don't know.

We'll see what this means moving forward, but as of right now, we are nearing the end of season four. I hope that it's been fruitful. I hope that it's been really great for you guys. And I am so grateful for this time that I've had with you guys in season four. And I really feel like the spirit has been moving and will continue to move. Also, our setup is a little different today. I just, I love like, and you guys will see this because we're just going to continue to grow.

as a community with this podcast. I love the camera setup, how we've had it, where I've, like, shown the whole vibe of the space and you guys see the couch and, like, the artwork on the walls. But I'm also kind of tempted to step into something more intimate where the cameras are a bit closer, and it feels like we're literally sitting next to one another. I don't know.

I'm just feeling that. I don't know if that's from the Lord, but I just, I think I like maybe a little bit more intimate. Like, we're really together right now. So let me know in the comment section below if you guys are watching on YouTube if this is something that we like visually. Aside from that, how is everybody? I really want to do like a check-in on you guys and see how your hearts have been. I also would love to pray for you guys.

And this might not be a message for every single person who's listening right now. But I feel that I'm supposed to acknowledge, I don't want to say backslide. but if you're somebody who feels like you really were super close and super tight with the Lord, and lately you have been feeling like you just haven't had that closeness with him. I don't know. I'm just feeling that on my heart. I don't know if this means anything to anyone listening, but I feel like I'm supposed to pray into that, that if you are somebody who's listening right now and you feel like you and God used to be besties and you used to go to him all the time and you used to pray all the time and you used to be, you know, just alone with him all the

time. Like you were really good at that and you were really good at being in a routine like that. And lately, whether it's been weeks or months, you obviously have still been talking to him and you've still been in relation with him, but you just don't feel that closeness. If that is you, I just want you to know that you are so seen by the father because like what would be the chances is actually of him putting this on my heart. If this is actually something you really needed to hear, then this message was totally for you. Because I don't know why else the Lord would put this on my heart right now. But if you're somebody who feels that, I want you to know that God is so close. He's so nearby. And I know it doesn't feel that way right now. But also, I feel him wanting you to know that

there's no shame in it. And he's not disappointed in you. Even though I know that that feels kind of backwards, like wouldn't he be, but he's not. He actually has so much compassion for you. And I think something that like really helps me in temptations of feeling shameful or feeling like I'm a disappointment to the Lord is remembering that he truly sees us as little children. We've kind of said this on the pod before. I don't know, but it's just interesting that we are always referred to as children of God, not adults of God. Like we're always his children, no matter our age,

whether we're literal children or fully grown adults. We are his children. Like we're always his children. And I really believe that's how he always looks at us. It reminds me of that, was this for State Farm? Y'all, I don't know what commercial this was years ago.

And I only know this because me and my family, my parents specifically, actually, we would always joke around about this. commercial. It was like these little kids, they were probably like eight years old, dressed in a full suit. Like this little boy, right? He's dressed in a full suit. He's grabbing the car keys. He's like, all right, dad, I'm on my way to work. And they're looking at him and they're like, what? What do you mean you're on? You can't drop. Like, they're like, what? And then they like blink

again and they see that he's a grown man. And the whole point of that was to show how for parents, they will always see their children as children. Like, obviously, they recognize that they're adults and they're grown, but at the same time, it's like they always see that little boy or that little girl in them. And that makes me all to cry, because I just feel like that's how God sees us. Like, even when we grow old and we grow gray hair, he always is going to see us as like his children, like his little boys and his little girls. And so I feel the tenderness of God's heart and I feel his compassion for you, but he's not disappointed. And he's, and he just sees you as this innocent little bean who's just trying their best.

And maybe we don't make the best decisions and maybe we don't always choose him first thing in our day and when we're supposed to be, you know? And maybe there are things. Obviously, that's totally on us. And it's our fault that we have grown far from the Lord because if we feel distant from God, it's never because of him. It's always because of us. There's something that's getting in the way, whether it's we're just not prioritizing him,

whether it's sin, whether it's shame, whether it's busyness, like, whatever that looks like, it's never God distancing himself from us. It's always us doing something to distance ourselves from him, but he's always near, and he has compassion for that, and he just, he loves you so much. Like, I just need you to know that he loves you just same as he did when you guys were besties, and you're still besties. You just got to reconnect with him. And so with all of that being said, I would just love to pray for y'all. And if this isn't something, thing that you are relating to in this moment. If you're like, no, I'm good. I'm besties with the Lord. Hallelujah. I'm so happy for you. But what I would encourage you all to do is to join me in

prayer for those that are listening that need this. I think that a lot of times we're always looking for messages to like speak directly to our hearts. And maybe sometimes they don't always do. Maybe this message right now was like not for you. But what we can do as a community, as a body, right, as a church is we then extend our compassion to those that could be listening or compassion to those who are in the church that possibly could need that message. You know, like that goes for us being in church on Sundays. Sometimes I'm like, I didn't really need this. Like, I feel like I'm pretty solid in this area of my life or in this area of my relationship with the Lord. But something that God has shown me is to lean in in prayer in that moment for the people in that room who need it, though.

because the thing is, is God never wastes a moment. He never wastes a message. So if it's not something that's like piercing you in the heart, there's a reason that message is being said, though. And if it's not necessarily for you, maybe your job in that moment, like your duty as a brother or sister is to lean in in prayer for anyone in the room

that does need that message. And so let's do that. Let's do that. Let's pray for the ones who need it. and I pray that you guys receive it and your hearts are open to it. And then to the ones who don't feel like it's speaking directly to them, let's collectively pray for the ones who need it. Jesus, I just want to thank you for your presence, God.

I thank you for the opportunity for all of us to come together as brothers and sisters, as a family, as a body. God, that you are the head, but we are the body. And so, Lord, we just thank you that we are one, that we are family. through the Holy Spirit, through you, God, through your love, through your sacrifice, Jesus, that there is unity with all of us, no matter our backgrounds, no matter how different we look on the outside or even the inside, Lord, that we are one through you, God. The thing that we all have in common that brings us together in unity is Christ, is you.

So, Lord, I just thank you for that unity. God, I thank you for the opportunity for all of us to come together and pray with one another. and I just pray specifically for any listeners right now who feel distant from you, God. It's been really hard for them. Maybe it's been even kind of like eating away at them, just a guilt or frustration of not feeling close to you. And so, Lord, I just pray right now that they feel a peace that surpasses all understanding. God, I'm asking you to just overwhelm them with a peace that makes no sense.

I pray that it washes over their body from their heads to their toes, God. And I just pray that they can feel your compassion, your love. and just your forgiveness. God, I pray that you not only reveal to them, what is keeping them from being near to you, and whether they know it or not, God, I pray that you give them the strength to turn from their habits that maybe they've fallen into

that's kept that distance. Lord, I pray for strength for them to be able to come back to you and to have a routine with you again, that the distractions and the busyness of the world or whatever else it's coming in between you and them. Lord, I just pray that you break that down in Jesus' name. And I pray that they remember that this is not strength that they're supposed to be getting within themselves

because we just aren't. We are not strong enough to actually carry things and manage things on our own, Lord, that we will eventually get burnt out and we will be discouraged. And so, God, I pray that they remember that the strength to get back to you is strength that you provide,

that we rejoice in our weakness because that's when you get to be strong for us. And so, God, if they need strength, if they need accountability, if they need motivation, Lord, that those are all things that they have to get from you. That is not anything that they can get within themselves. Lord, that they don't have to show up and find the strength within themselves to come to your feet, Lord, that they actually need your strength to be able to come to your feet. God, I just pray for a closeness with you again. I pray that they feel as if you are their best friend again. Not that you ever stopped being their best friend, but Lord, I just pray for that

closeness to come back. I pray for routine in their day. I pray that you get the fresh fruits of their day, that you are not receiving the scraps at the end of their day, that they are prioritizing you at the very beginning of their day, God. They are prioritizing the word. And I just pray that this drought is over with now, in Jesus' name, that this drought of feeling far away from you, ends now. And Lord, I just thank you for the way that we all get to intercede for our brothers and sisters right now, even to the ones that maybe this isn't necessarily speaking to them, God. I thank you for those brothers and sisters who are dedicating their time right now to pour into and intercede for our siblings who just need this. Lord, we love you, we honor you.

We desire your closeness, God, because we need you. God, we need you at all times of the day. And so I just pray this in your almighty holy name, Jesus. Amen. Okay, I feel this topic on my heart and the only way I'm actually really going to be able to talk about this is just through the Holy Spirit. So God, because this was not something that I thought we were going to come to the pod with. But yeah, I feel it heavy because I feel like what we just did was kind of like a segue into what we're going to talk about, which I really think that A lot of times in our journey with the Lord, this might be convicting, is that we're always looking to ourselves, not in a selfish way, but it's like when it comes to our relationship with the Lord,

it's like me and God against the world, you know, which our personal relationship with the Lord should be priority in number one, because the only way that we can pour into the world and pour into others is if we are prioritizing that one-on-one time with the Lord and he's pouring into us and then from there it's just an overflow into others you know and just parts of your day so i'm not saying that us prioritizing our relationship with god first and foremost before anything else is selfish or wrong because that's actually the only way we're going to be able to pour into others is if we're allowing the lord to pour into us intimately one-on-one you and god communing having dinner together like, you know, so that is so, so important.

But what I'm saying is that I think a lot of times we can be so focused on our relationship with the Lord and so focused on wanting to grow and wanting more and just wanting to be a better daughter or son to God. Like that is so good and it's so important and that should never stop. But sometimes we do that so much that we forget about certain. others. Does that make sense? And like, am I making sense? I feel like too much of a good thing can be bad. And I'm not saying that there's such thing as us spending too much time with God one-on-one. Girl or boy, y'all better be in the secret place as much as you want, however many times you

want. You're trying to grow spiritually. You better go get that knowledge and wisdom from our Heavenly Father. You better get your face in the word all the time. Like, that's not bad. But I think sometimes we can be so in that that we forget about other people. We should be doing all of it at the same time. Like we should be seeking the Lord, but then seeking other ways of how we can serve God through serving other people. And how I think that the Lord really allowed a segue into this subject with what we just did is recognizing that if a message or, you know, you're sitting at church or even at this

podcast episode, if there's something that's not totally speaking to you in that moment, is there a way for us to possibly pour into other people? Is there a way for us to possibly pray for others then? I think a lot of times we're always looking for the Lord to like fix things in our hearts and do things for us and it's all good, but we're forgetting about other people. You know, we're going to church, we're looking for that message, we're looking for the Lord to speak directly into our heart, pierce our hearts, we want to feel conviction, we want to grow, we want more wisdom. That's all good. But we're forgetting. We're forgetting. We're getting about other people.

Like so many times, and I can speak for myself because I'm not a perfect person either, but maybe we can go into things feeling disappointed because we're like, wow, I really wanted that to speak to me, but I really can't relate to that right now in my life. Or how many times are you reading the Bible and you're like snoozing and you're like, this doesn't apply to my life at all right now? But why does it have to apply to your life right now? why does it have to apply to your life right now? I know that we're seeking maybe relief and answers in the things that we're walking in.

And I'm not saying that the Lord won't do that. You know, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock in the door will be open to you. If you're asking the Lord for clarity on things, he'll give it to you. But I think sometimes we need to go into things with a little bit more of a bigger picture. Like, just because you're sitting at a sermon and you're really, receiving a word doesn't mean that one, you can't still take notes. Maybe you're supposed to be helping somebody through that subject that you haven't met yet. Like maybe what you're learning in that moment doesn't apply necessarily to you in that moment. Maybe while you're sitting there

and you're listening to this sermon or this message. And it doesn't necessarily apply to what you're walking through in your life right then and there. Well, one, it absolutely could eventually. And you'll go, oh wow, the Lord was really showing me that thing before this all happened. I really needed to hear that word. Just because it wasn't necessarily applying to my life in that moment, doesn't mean I didn't need to hear it. Or two, maybe the Lord wants to give you that wisdom and knowledge so that you could help someone else and walk them through,

maybe that literal message that they needed. Maybe like what we just did, it's not necessarily speaking to us, but we can intercede and pray for the people around us who might need that. Yeah, I just, I feel like this is kind of speaking to me too. I think I hunger for the Lord so much. And I want his wisdom so much so that I can become better,

because I want to become better. And I want to become a faithful daughter. And I want to become just full of his wisdom. I want to know all the things. I'm like, God, show me, tell me all the things. And that's good. But are we applying it out? outside of our own personal relationship with the Lord to serving, giving, being generous to other people.

Because ultimately our relationship with the Lord isn't just supposed to be a relationship with God. There's also relationship with God through relationships with others. That when we give and we overpour to other people, that that's also a way to actually serve the Lord. you're strengthening, I feel like this is a really fun way to look at it, but if you're really looking to strengthen your relationship with the Lord, obviously that one-on-one time, but your relationship with the Lord will also strengthen through serving other people. And just some examples of how we can serve one another. And that goes for people in the church or people outside of the church. This goes for every human being that you interact with. One way to do it,

which we just did, is praying for each other. Ephesians 618 reads, in the spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Another thing that we could do to serve one another is to share and give to those in need. So that's kind of like the first thing that I think a lot of us think about is like, how can we give? Well, we could give simply by actually sharing and giving to those in need, those who are needy and poor. but that could also be, doesn't have to be as drastic as somebody who may not have a home, but that could be someone in need of anything.

Food, a friend, prayer, advice. It could be physical objects that you could give. It could be your time. It could be anything. Anyone who's in need. You see that they need something. You see that somebody needs a hug and encouragement from the Lord. Then we're giving that.

Give to those. and share with those who are in need. Hebrews 13, 16 reads, and don't forget to do good and share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. So what's really sweet is that when we are sacrificial and we give to those in need, it pleases God. Just to elaborate on that a little bit more,

I want to also bring up Luke 638, which reads, give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you. in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. So this is the Lord also showing us that when we give and we are sacrificial to other people that the Lord actually gives back to us, that giving is actually not a loss. It is a gain.

And of course, it does come down to our heart posture. Your motive to giving shouldn't be like, okay, if I give this, then God will give me more. I think God allows us to know that, not so that our heart gets twisted in selfishness. And again, then just looking back at ourselves and saying, I'm going to give so God gives me more. He doesn't tell us that to encourage that behavior because that's just not the heart posture. That's not a pure heart. that's not being selfless. I think he tells us that to reassure us that with giving,

we're not at any loss. Like, I think he tells us that because it gives us comfort knowing that if we give, we're not going to be just left. Like, if you gave your last $5 to somebody, God's saying, just know that I'm going to honor that, and I'm going to give you even more than you gave. And he says that to give us ease and knowing that the Lord is going to provide, that it's not a loss at all, that he's going to give us even more.

I think he says that just to give us peace in knowing that anything we give doesn't go to waste and we aren't left with less than what we had. So when I go back to saying that it depends on your heart posture, it says in 2 Corinthians 9 7 through 9, that each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. God does not want our giving to be grunging,

regretfully given with plenty of complaining, or of necessity, given because someone has made us or manipulated us into giving. Instead of giving in a grunging way or out of necessity, God wants us to give cheerfully. The ancient Greek word for cheerful is the root hilaros used only here in the New Testament is the root for our English word

hilarious. God wants us to give happily because that is how God himself gives. True giving comes from a happy heart and it also gives us a happy heart. Not all giving is cheerful giving. Many gifts

are thus given sorrowfully where the giver is induced to give by a regard to public opinion or by stress of conscience. It must be giving out of the heart because you love to give, not because you are bound to give. God is the ultimate cheerful giver. He delights to give to us. It is not difficult to suggest why God delights in the cheerful giver. He himself is such a giver and desires to see this characteristic restored among those who were created in his image. Isn't that fun? So God also calls us

to be cheerful givers and to be sacrificial for others. But cheerfully, like, Jesus went to the cross, and he didn't go to the cross making the ultimate sacrifice, knowing that he was going to die. He didn't go to the cross out of guilt. He didn't go to the cross out of obligation. He didn't go to the cross because he felt cornered by the father, saying, if you don't do this,

he wasn't manipulated to go to the cross. He gladly died for our sins. Was he afraid? For sure. I'm not saying that he was like ecstatic, but I think about being tortured and dying on the cross. But I think the thing that actually brought him joy and the thing that he was ecstatic about with that sacrifice

was knowing that it was going to restore all of us believers and was going to create unity with the father again. and all of our sins were going to be forgiven because of his sacrifice. So because of the act of sacrifice of him losing his life for all of us and the reward for that, like knowing that meant we could be in relation with him for infinity and beyond, that is what made him cheerful. That is what brought him joy in doing it. Does that make sense?

And so, yeah, maybe giving your last $5, it could hurt a little in your tummy, but you're doing it with a joyful heart. Knowing that, one, it honors God. Because when you do that with a joyful heart, it honors the Lord. Two, you're blessing that person. You're allowing them to feel the love of the Father. Because the only way that you can give and the only way that you can operate in this selflessness that you're operating in, this act of love is only from God. so they get to then feel the love of God through you. And not to mention, the Lord has promised that he's going to give you back more than what you gave.

And you feel incredible doing it. Like you feel incredible doing it. And when we think about the way that God provides for us and he sacrifices and he gives, he is a cheerful giver. He doesn't give to us because he's like, ah, he's like rolling his eyes and he's like, okay, Rebecca needs more strength today. Well, I mean, I guess I'll do it. I mean, I have to. I'm her provider.

I'm her dad. Like, it's not that. It's like he actually does it joyfully. He's excited. He loves to do it. And the thing is, is it actually brings him joy to provide for us. You know, when you go out of your way to give to somebody or to do an act of kindness or to just do something that you didn't need to do, you know, you could have

kept on in your life, you could have stayed in your lane, you didn't have to go out of your way for this stranger to help them, but you did it anyway. How do you feel after that? There ain't no way that you're feeling depressive, esi. You are feeling so good. You're like, who can I help next? That, the only reason you feel that when you're serving others is because you were made in the image of God and that's how he feels when he gives. He himself is such a giver and desires to see this characteristic restored among those who were created in his image. I love the way that this is said that he desires to see this characteristic restored among those who were created in his image. Can we look up the definition of restored? Restored is to bring back to return repair. So for something to be

restored means that it once had it and then it didn't, but now it's being brought back. If you have to bring back something, that means it was already there. And so with me breaking down the word restore, I know we all know it, but I love to like really get into depth with the words because when we think about it, it means that, yeah, we once had that, which means that that's what we were once, all of us, are rooted in. We all have this embedded in us that we were all made to be. cheerful givers. And God is such a giver that he desires to see this characteristic of being a cheerful giver restored among those who were created in his image. So that means that we were always made to be

cheerful givers. And for whatever reason, sometimes we're not, sometimes it's not tempting, but it's normally out of a spirit of fear. I'm going to keep it a buck. Or hesitation and selfishness, like if you're like, oh, I don't have time, I can't go out of my way for this person. Or if it does come to money, like giving money, it's normally rooted out of fear. We can all say that. If we're not giving, it's because we're fearful and we're trying to cling on to the things that we already have. Or we don't believe that the Lord is who he says he is, where he says that he will give back what you gave and even more so. It's also coming down to the fact of like, do we believe that that's who God is? And also do we believe that all the money that we have is actually a gift from the

Lord, and it's nothing we've earned ourselves. And so when we think about the money that we have in our bank accounts right now, y'all, that was not money. I mean, yeah, we worked for it. Absolutely. I'm not saying that it was like nothing you actually had to work for, but it was a gift. Everything we have, everything we have is a gift from God. And so, yes, there's hard work that goes into earning that money. And there are times where it's really scary. Like you're like, I don't even know how I'm going to pay for my meal tomorrow. I know that that's very real and I don't want to disqualify any of those feelings. But I think the thing that the Lord really challenges us in with giving as well, on top of all of this, that it cheerful givers, it pleases the Lord and it makes us feel good,

but it also really tests our faith in the Lord. And God says, do you trust me enough to know that if you give this money, even though you didn't have to, one, two, maybe it was painful and it was a little scary. If you give this, do you believe that I'm going to give you back that money and like tenfold? Do we believe he's that sovereign that he also is in control of the money of this earth? Like obviously we know that God is sovereign and we know that he's in control of all things, but do we also believe that that's with money? Like, why do we think that that means that also money is off limits to the Lord? Like he can't bless us. He can't control that part. Of Of course he can't. He's God. Of course he can't. He can give you that money back. He can give you that money back so quickly. Like that. And what's awesome is he's the God of more. He's a cheerful giver and he loves to give, but he also loves to give more. He also loves to blow our minds. He loves receiving more glory by giving us even more. So if you gave $27, I mean, yeah, I'm sure we would all be really satisfied if he just gave us those $27 back and that was all. But he wants to give more.

Because that's when we're like, what? God, wait, you did that. You're so good. That's his heart. His heart is like a giver but of more. He loves giving more than what we ask. So I think the most important thing to remember, when we're talking about this specific way to serve others by giving, even if that is financially, is asking the Lord for a cheerful heart. If you feel that it's hard for you to give cheerfully, it's hard for you to trust the Lord with actually getting that money back or getting back more than what you gave. If that's just like a really hard thing to wrap your mind around, the thing that I would encourage you in doing is just praying for a heart that desires to give cheerfully. Because the thing that God can do is he can soften a heart.

He can. We've seen him do it plenty of times. And so if your heart is kind of hardened to that and you don't have a ton of faith or hope in that area, I think just being real and honest with the Lord and bringing that to him and saying, hey, God, this is a hard place for me to trust you in. And I want to trust you with it because the thing that is so beautiful about trusting God in all areas of our life is that we receive freedom in all of those areas in our life. And so let's say you trust God with everything except for finances and money. We can pray for that because it also will give you freedom. I think it's good to remember that it's not an issue of what you have or don't have. It's what has you.

Like, are you being controlled by money? Are you being controlled by finances? Or are you controlling your finances? Are we looking at our money as just another tool to serve God and to honor other people? Or is it something that's controlling us? generosity y'all is actually another form of worship to the lord and i think the other thing too that the lord loves to do through believers and his children is that god wants to give us more to obviously like reward us and show us that hey i'm here for you i love you i told you i was going to give you back what you gave and then some but the lord actually wants to give us more not just to have more for our but to also give more. So then it's like, okay, and now I'm testing you.

Now we're going to the next level. Let's give a little more this time, you know? And I just think it's like it's a sweet thing to have the Lord like trust you with that. Ultimately, it's like if he's giving you more, that means he's trusting you more with that money. And obviously there's nothing wrong with like spending things for ourselves, but also still giving more. Like if he's giving us more, then we're going to give more. But like what I was saying, I just, I challenge you all to just bring that to the Lord and be honest and say, hey, God, this is like a really hard area in my life because I want to give

generously and I want to find another way to serve people, to honor you, and to worship you. And I know how much this means to you. Did you all know that there are 2,000 verses in the Bible about the Lord's heart for the poor? So he cares. And I really think one of the things that he finds the most joy in is when we're generous. So that's that about giving, right? So we covered praying for one another, sharing and giving to those in need.

Now, the next thing that I think we could do with just serving other people and thinking of others and doing things for other people, especially in the church, is to give encouragement to one another. Is to encourage one another. First, Thessalonians 511 reads, so encourage each other and build each other up just as you are already doing. That was Paul writing to the church saying, hey, y'all are doing a great job at this, but keep doing it. But encouraging one another, there is nothing sweeter than receiving encouragement from somebody that you care about, but also low-key, from someone you don't really know.

Like, if you're observing something in someone, like, I'm going to use this as an example, okay, because I was a stranger to this woman. But I would know that if a stranger came up to me and said this to me, it would mean a lot to me, you know. So I think obviously encouraging one another with the people that you know, but also encouraging strangers is like so much fun and it's such a sweet way to give i had an experience in a chipotle a couple months ago and this woman that was in front of me i could tell that she was kind of tempted to get frustrated with the man who was making her food because he kind of messed it up and then he had to

make it again but she must have been on some type of time crunch she said she was getting this food for her daughter on her lunch break or something and so i could tell that she was getting really tempted to just be frustrated but i saw something switching her where she was She decided to just be kind to him. And she, yeah, she just extended a lot of kindness and love to him. And I saw that. I saw the temptation of getting frustrated and maybe wanting to, like, give him a piece of her mind. But then all of a sudden, like this wave of compassion and kindness came over her.

And she was like, you know what? It's okay. And she was like so loving and kind to him. After I had made my, I had made my order after hers were standing and we're kind of waiting in the same area. And I said to her, I just encouraged her in that. I said, thank you so much for being so kind to that man. I saw the way that you were compassionate towards him. He also felt very stressed.

Like, I think maybe he had just started working there. Maybe he has a little bit of social anxiety. I felt like anxiety on him. And so I just told her, I was like in a lot of other scenarios, maybe with someone else, if it wasn't you, would have maybe been cruel to him or unfair to him and maybe wouldn't have extended so much compassion to him. but I want to thank you for just being so kind to him

because I think he really needed that. I think he needed compassion and understanding rather than frustration and like being snappy and like, you know how people can be like that sometimes? Especially with food. They're like really offended when people get their order wrong or if they mess up. And so I just told her.

I was like, I know it probably could have been tempting to be frustrated, but thank you for loving him. Thank you for choosing to actually just love him in that moment. And I extended encouragement to a total stranger, but I know that that had to have meant. something to her. And I know that if I were in that situation and somebody had complimented my kindness and encouraged me in that, it would mean the world to me. Because I think a lot of times, too, maybe we extend our kindness, but people don't really recognize it or see it. And ultimately,

it's like, if we're being kind and sacrificial to others, the only person that matters in that moment is God. And you know God saw it. So it doesn't really matter if other people recognize it. But there is something so beautiful about encouraging one another in something that maybe they didn't have to do, you know, whether somebody's working really hard at something or they did choose to love someone. Yeah, encouragement is such a beautiful gift to give to others. I think it's a really beautiful way of allowing them to just really feel seen in that moment, you know? Another example of how we can serve others is through working with intention and joy. Isn't it funny how the Lord always brings it back to our heart posture? He wants all of our hearts to be.

in a place of just purity and love and just nothing about ourselves. Nothing about looking at ourselves. It's like he wants us to have a heart posture of looking at others and just complete purity and kindness and love. I want to read Philippians 2 14 through 15, which reads, do everything without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

I think that's so beautiful because also it does come down to, we are representing the kingdom of God. We're representing Jesus. And so if we are going to be followers of Christ, obviously we are not perfect. We are not Jesus. There are times where I'm probably not going to represent him in the best way, just because there are times where our flesh will get the best of us

or whatever that may look like. But I think a majority of our time spent giving or serving or doing things or working, we should be doing it with a heart posture of remembering that we are representing the church and we're representing Jesus's heart. That if somebody knows that you are a Christian and that you are a believer in Jesus, we better be acting that way to the best of our abilities. We really should. And so what's really important about this verse is that it says so that no one can criticize you.

live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people is that we're supposed to stand out. I think the only way that we can shine like a bright light in a world full of crooked and perverse people is by being different and doing things without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize us, that we don't look like the world because we're not arguing and we're not moaning and groaning and we're not complaining and we're not looking at ourselves and going, oh, this is so hard. Like there's already more than enough of that in the world.

And also, Jesus never complained. He had to carry his cross up Calvary, walking himself to his own death. And I can bet that not one single complaint came out of his mouth through all of that. It's obviously very important that we do everything in a clean and innocent way so that we can be those bright lights in a world. And we can stand out. We can be different. Because what better way to see the love of Jesus? Jesus through a bright light that just looks different than the world.

That's a testimony for anybody looking from the outside in. And they're looking at you and they're like, okay, she's different. And the only thing I can think of is that she's like obsessed with Jesus. So maybe those two things are connected, you know? I'm reading some commentary about the specific part in that verse that says, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. This is not an encouragement to do something. It is a simple statement of fact.

Christians are lights in the world. The only question is, how brightly do they shine? We are to fulfill our place as lights in the world. Lights are used to make things evident. Lights are used to guide. Lights are used as a warning. Lights are used to bring cheer. lights are used to make things safe.

Paul knew that the lights were in a bad place. Instead of excusing the lights for not shining, Paul knew that their positions made it all the more important that they shine. Being in a dark place is a greater incentive to shine. That's really sweet. I loved that little breakdown of like why lights exist and what they serve purpose for. I think that that's really important to remember too. Now, one last thing I want to say, too, in ways that we could serve others, is to simply, and this one is kind of obvious, the drum rule, spread God's word to spread God's word.

And just as a little evidence of spreading God's word, let's bring it back to the word. We are in Psalm 963, where it says, publish his glorious deeds among the nations. tell everyone about the amazing things he does. We have another example, 2 Timothy 4-2, which reads, preach the word of God, be prepared whether the time is favorable or not, patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

Hmm, that's so pretty. Wait, I love this. The prettiest part about it is patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. Matthew 2819 reads, therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, and be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. That was Jesus talking to his disciples. Mark 1615 is also Jesus speaking, And he told them, go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe. They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.

They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. they will be able to place their hands on the sick and they will be healed. That came out of Jesus's mouth. I love how he tells us that we have that authority. Like we do. We do. We can spread the good news and we also have the authority to do all of those things that he just listed. That's crazy.

Whoa. Okay. So you get it. The Lord has said plenty of times that we are supposed to be spreading the good news and, yeah, just talking about the word of God. And what's really cool is that the word of God can apply to every part of our life. And so it can be as simple as you're having a conversation with a friend or someone you love and adore, whether they're a believer or not. And they're expressing to you that they feel they can't trust somebody because everything they tell them, they turn around and they talk about it. Or for some reason, other people are like have this information where you only told this one person, you know?

And you can say, oh my gosh, that's so crazy you say that. That actually literally reminds me of this verse in the Bible. It's in Proverbs. It's Proverbs 2019 that says, a gossip goes around telling secrets, so don't hang around with chatterers. Isn't that crazy? Wait, isn't that crazy that the Lord actually talks about people who gossip and can't keep their wrath shut? Maybe you don't have to sit down and read a whole chapter, or you can, or you should do that. But I'm just saying, like, spreading the word of God doesn't have to be, like, sitting down, lecturing people, reading the Bible to them.

I think the more that we learn the word of God and the more that we memorize it and we have it like embedded in our minds and our hearts, the more that verses will just come up in natural conversation and you'll be like, wow, that actually makes me think of this one Bible verse. And that's how you can spread the word of God. But yeah, anyway, I love you guys. Thank you for hearing me out in this episode. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Actually, that was crazy. I didn't think we were going to talk about any of that, but that was fun. And, ugh, this is so good because it ties into our little ouch. how we always say. Can we do something cool today, y'all? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Let's give. Let's have a cheerful, giving heart this next week. Let's challenge ourselves to really look to others more. Maybe we already do that. I'm not saying we don't, but let's just do it more. Let's give more. Let's do all these things that we talked about, just more, because that would ultimately also make us more like Jesus. That would make us look more like him because he has all these qualities. He's amazing. He's the best. He's our shepherd and he's the ultimate example. So let's show someone how cool Jesus is today by doing these things, encouraging people, loving people,

and just being more like him. Okay, I love you guys. I'm so proud of you. I'm so grateful for you all and I hope that you have a beautiful weekend and a great rest of your week. I will see you next Friday. I love y'all so much. If you guys can't wait until next Friday for another episode, you are in luck. Subscribe to our Patreon where you will have early access to future episodes and occasional surprise bonus episodes. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more content. And if this episode spoke to you, please write us a five-star review since it helps the podcast so much. We'll see you guys next time.